HANDS Percussion presents Kaleidoscope VIII “Infinite Beats”, the eighth edition of the Malaysian-born international drumming festival, from 29 September to 4 October 2026 at Sunway Square, Kuala Lumpur.
Jointly presented with the Sir Jeffrey Cheah Performing Arts Centre (JCPAC), the six-day festival gathers artists from Malaysia, Japan, Venezuela, Cuba and the United States for four concerts and a full programme of public events, most of them open to anyone who walks in.
The line-up brings HANDS Percussion together with Seppuku Pistols (Japan), La Tribu (Venezuela), Juan Carlos Allende (Cuba), percussion master Steve Thornton (USA/Kuala Lumpur), Akademi Seni Putera Selangor (PASEPS) and The Pulse Quartet by The Temple of Fine Arts Malaysia (TOFA) — Chinese drums, Japanese festival percussion, Afro-Latin rhythm, Malay kompang and Indian classical percussion on one stage.
The four Grand Concerts take place at the Grand Theatre, JCPAC, on 2, 3 and 4 October, with tickets from RM98. Every concert opens with a 24 Festive Drums troupe — Kwang Hua Private High School, Chung Hua High School Seremban, SJK(C) Bukit Tinggi Bentong and Yuebeatz — placing the homegrown art form at the top of each night rather than in a supporting slot.
The festival also marks the world premiere of three new works written by HANDS Percussion’s own composers. Infinite by Tan Zhe Hao is performed in the HANDS 1 programme from Oct 2-4; The Flow by Tee Leong Hoe in HANDS on Oct 2 and 3, Taboo, co-composed by Khoo Nii Hing and Lim Wei Ying, in HANDS 2 on Oct 2 and Oct 4.
'Each began with a blank page,' as Tan describes his piece as building a world that has never existed, and says what draws him is not knowing what it will become; Lim recalls hearing hers played in full for the first time and finding that it felt alive, as though it were speaking; Khoo traced the taboos he grew up with and arrived at the view that a taboo, once understood, is no longer a constraint but a choice; and Tee holds that some work, and some people, simply need time to settle.
Beyond the concerts, the festival turns the whole of JCPAC into one large drumming space.
Eleven pocket shows run free at Sunway Square Mall and Sunway University; community drum circles on the JCPAC rooftop seat up to 100 participants with instruments provided and no experience required; and the Little Bulat Arts Market runs daily from Oct 2-4.
Three masterclasses and a slate of open workshops — among them 24 Festive Drums, Seni Kompang Melayu with PASEPS, Japanese Soundscape with Seppuku Pistols and Exploring Indian Rhythms with The Pulse Quartet — put visiting artists in the studio with the public.
The festival closes on Oct 4 with an international symposium at the Q Lecture Theatre, JCPAC, where percussion masters and frontline practitioners from five nations discuss how rhythm carries a culture, and where it stands in the age of artificial intelligence.
“Infinite Beats takes its name from the numeral eight turned on its side — the infinity symbol, a living testament to an unstoppable, lifelong rhythm. Yet no matter how far we march, we progress without ever forgetting our source.
"This time we return to our very beginning, placing our artistic foundation, the Twenty-Four Festive Drums, back at the centre of the stage. Life may build walls, but the moment the drums resound, we revolve endlessly like the infinity symbol — shattering every boundary of existence,” said Bernard Goh, Founder and Artistic Director of HANDS Percussion.
That principle runs through the programme. One of this year’s pocket shows is presented with YMCA Deafbeat and the Malaysian Foundation of the Deaf, special education students from Breakthru Academy also appear across the festival, and HANDS trainees join PASEPS for a twenty-strong kompang showcase.
The 2 October Opening Night includes a foyer dialogue between gamelan and Chinese drums that has been invited to the 4th Asia+ Festival in Hong Kong.
Presented by HANDS Percussion since 2009, Kaleidoscope is a biennial platform exploring rhythm, culture and belonging. Full programme details, ticketing and registration are at kaleidoscope.hands.com.my.
NOTE: About Kaleidoscope - Kaleidoscope is a biennial exploration of rhythm, culture and belonging through performance, participatory experience and creative collaboration. Rooted in Malaysia and connected to the world, it brings artists, communities and audiences together to experience rhythm as a shared language — one that crosses age, culture, ability and background.
About HANDS Percussion. Founded by Artistic Director Bernard Goh, HANDS Percussion is one of Malaysia’s leading percussion companies, known for work that draws on Chinese drumming, gamelan and contemporary composition, and for touring Malaysian percussion internationally.
